Planning Early for Next Year

Paying for College
1

Hi, I’m a high school senior and I will be attending CC for a year because of financial difficulties. I begin my CC classes May 30th. I have met with my academic advisor and I only have to do 3 semesters of CC as all of my AP credits will transfer over, so I am essentially skipping all of my basics and am doing all of the major- specific courses. I am majoring in Biology.

I would like to begin planning which schools I will apply to for transfer, so that I am not stuck in the same situation as I was this year, where I could not afford to attend any of the schools I got into. So, i’m curious, what schools offer the best aid for transfers?

It does not matter if the school is OOS or IS(Texas) as long as it is affordable and offers good aid. My only requirements are that it has a biology major and is not too rural. I also plan to go to graduate school for marine biology, so if it is near a coast that would be a plus, but not a requirement. Here are my high school stats, as I know some colleges require them for transfers:

GPA: 3.4/4.4
Class Rank: top 25%
SAT: 1270(new one)
Many ECs
10 AP Classes

Colleges EC’s: Equestrian, Dance, Volunteer at wildlife rehab center, preschool gymnastics coach, judge national forensics league tournaments, will most likely join GSA and Student Government at CC

I plan to work much harder for my college courses, since I want to get the best scholarship possible, now that I know that my effort level was not enough. I’m going into this situation as motivated as anyone can possibly be. I’m sorry if this seems excessively early, I just see many students on here and at my school(myself included) who have unrealistic ideas about the finances behind college, and I do not want to be in a situation this time next year where I can’t afford any of my colleges(again). I’d also like to get a head start on essays(if possible) since I will be busy during the fall with my courses. I will update you guys with my college GPA as it gets closer to apply for transfer.

(I know marine biology gets looked down upon as being highly specialized or a “hot” major, but that’s not why i’m studying it. I have been passionate about conserving ocean life since I was a small child, I have done many many volunteer projects working with ocean animals, I have an ocean internship this summer and one i’m applying to next summer, I help out at a fish store, I’ve written and perfumed multiple speeches about ocean conservation, I have my scuba certification, etc… However i’m aware that it can be tough to find jobs, which is why i’m not studying it at an undergrad level. )

Thank you all so much! Your advice has all been invaluable!!

2

Transfered students very rarely get the merit aids like freshmen. You should look at schools that meet your need, or in state schools for lower cost. Most OOS schools would be more expensive for you.

3

@billcsho Yeah, that’s why i’m trying to plan it out now. I don’t care if i’m in state, I just want to know if anyone knows of colleges that give aid to transfers.

4

You should talk to your transfer advisor at the community college ASAP when you enroll.

But really…if you want to maximize your aid potential…why aren’t you taking a gap year…and applying as a freshman applicant for 2018-2019? The best aid goes to incoming freshmen…not transfers…unless you get accepted at a college that guarantees to meet full need for all transfer students…and there are not a lot of those!

5

“…as long as it is affordable”

What constitutes “affordable”. I will assume that $65,000 per year for four years is not affordable (it is not for most of us). However, is $25,000 per year for three or four years affordable?

6

@thumper1 I’m taking CC classes because with all my AP Credits i’ll have my associates in spring 2018, so i’m essentially skipping my freshman year. I thought this would save me money because I will only have to pay for 2 years of college tuition instead of 4, and I got a scholarship that all my courses at the cc, and my mom is paying for books, and since I’m living at home I don’t have to pay rent or anything.

Would taking a gap year be better? I didn’t think about it much because I was really only an average student, and the biggest scholarship I got was 7500 a year, so I thought it would be more efficient to take this path.

7

@DadTwoGirls I have around 4k of my own savings(which should be around 7-8K this time next year) , and I can take out 9500 in loans since my parents don’t qualify for Parent Plus Loans. I also have relatives willing to cosign private loans if it comes down to that, but I would prefer it not to. I would say around 20K a year would be best, 25K at the absolute most.

8

Keep in mind that acceptance of your AP credits will depend on where you ultimately transfer to and they are not a sure thing at this point. Have a look at your target schools and see what their AP credit policies are - both credit granted and how it maps to your intended major. In many cases, your state U will be most friendly in this regard. Your approach is fine just add this requirement to your list as you look at target transfer schools.

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@my2caligirls Yeah, i’m keeping an eye on it. I’m most likely going to stay in Texas, where any AP score higher than 3 gives credit at any public university. I also looked at the degree path for bio at almost all Texas universities and tried to line my CC courses up as close as possible

10

You will save money by doing the CC route.

Talk to the transfer advisor at the CC ASAP when you get there. They are usually a good resource…and might have info on affordability within your state.

11

http://www.depts.ttu.edu/admissions/admissions-finaid/transfer/
http://www.depts.ttu.edu/scholarships/transferStudentsScholarships.php

http://financialaid.tamu.edu/Aggie-Assurance

Texas Tech gives some transfer scholarships for CC students.

Is your family income under $60,000? The Aggie Assurance provides free tuition at Texas A&M

12

https://scholarship.unm.edu/scholarships/transfer-scholarships.html

U NM has the Amigo transfer scholarship worth about $14,987 with 3.25 college GPA, at least 30 transfer credits, and high school GPA of 3.0 and new SAT of 1240.I believe.

OOS tuition is about $22,000 and room and board around $9,500. That would leave about $17,000 to pay.

13

Testing for understanding:

You are going to attend CC in Texas where you got a great scholarship
Will it cover your tuition and fees while you are there?

Will you be able to use in all of your AP credits at the community college? If you transfer to a 4-year after getting your associates, they will definitely go because you will be transferring the degree vs. transferring credits.

Will you be able to borrow your $5500 if yes, minimally borrow the $3500 subsidized and bank the $$

Check the community college you are attending to see where they have articulation agreements? Articulation agreements are pretty much guaranteed admissions for certain majors, if you take specific courses at your community college.

While UT Austin does not have articulation agreements, they have transfer guides. Sit with your advisor/transfer counselor to make sure that you are taking the course work needed to transfer into your program and that will allow you a smooth transition into your major

https://admissions.utexas.edu/apply/transfer-resources/acc-transfer-guides
https://admissions.utexas.edu/apply/transfer-resources
https://admissions.utexas.edu/explore/academics

Check the in-state colleges that offer merit aid for community college transfer students.

14

@sybbie719
Yes, the scholarship will cover my tuition and fees while there, and my mom is paying for books.
Yes, I will be using all my AP credits at the CC, and that’s good to hear.
No, I do not believe the CC has any articulation agreements.

I’m not too sure about going to UT because the CC i’m going to is in Austin and i’ve heard its very cutthroat to get in to UT from a CC since everyone wants to transfer there. It is also pretty expensive, since my parents will not let me live at home and commute after this year at the CC, so I would either have to pay room and board or get an apartment, both of which would be pretty expensive since UT is right downtown.

15

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and I can take out 9500 in loans since my parents don’t qualify for Parent Plus Loans.

I also have relatives willing to cosign private loans if it comes down to that, but I would prefer it not to. I would say around 20K a year would be best, 25K at the absolute most.


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You have a serious problem. A marine biologist does NOT earn much money. Notoriously low paying. You’re talking about graduating with $50k-100k of DEBT…and you won’t be able to pay it back.

Do not let your relatives cosign. they either will get stuck with the loans…or they will realize that your future income will be low, and they will refuse to cosign for more loans and you won’t be able to finish degree.

16

Texas A&M has some transfer scholarships. Texas A&M Galveston looks really good for your major, but it will be out of your price range without a merit scholarship. That University of New Mexico scholarship is really worth a closer look.

How many additional years of undergraduate are you looking at once you transfer? 2 or 2.5? Try to keep your UG debt around $30K if at all possible.

Becoming a Phi Theta Kappa member (typically a 3.5 CC GPA) will really help with the scholarships wherever you transfer.

17

@mom2collegekids I’m not sure what you mean…the average salary for a marine biologist is 70K a year. I’m also not sure what you mean about being 50-100k in debt as i’m trying to find a college 20k or below a year.

@VAOptimist I will be looking at 2 years of undergrad as i’ll be transferring in as junior.

18

That’s median, not entry. Payscale has it more like $50k median.

I believe posters may have been confused by this: “I also have relatives willing to cosign private loans if it comes down to that, but I would prefer it not to. I would say around 20K a year would be best, 25K at the absolute most.”

Where you talk about private loans then switch back to total cost without saying that’s the new topic.

19

@bodangles Ohhh, yeah. I’m sorry, I should have read that again.

@mom2collegekids for clarification, The absolute most I would ever take out in private loans is 5k, and thats only for 2 years, so 10k total. That’s only if it’s my only option. I really really really don’t want to take out private loans and I will most likely not have to, since i’m doing a lot of financial research now.

I’m trying to find a college that’s 20K a year or below. 25K would be my absolute limit, because it would mean I would have to take out private loans. If the college is 20K or below, It will be easily affordable for me.

I’ve also heard a lot about the job market for marine biologists, which is why my undergrad is only going to be biology. I’m also minoring in education. I have no problems with being a teacher, and it is my back-up plan. I also already know about the low teacher salary as my mom has been a teacher for my entire life.

20

As a junior with parents not qualifying for plus loan, I think you can borrow $12,500 in stafford loans.

So if you have work earnings too you might have enough for example to go to UNM ($7,000 tuition after Amigo transfer scholarship) or Texas Tech ($11,000 tuition - transfer scholarship), if living with a roommate off campus.

Like mentioned before if your family can’t help or you don’t qualify for Pell or TX grants, you could borrow just the subsidized loans (if offered) while at CC. That should leave you with student debt around $30k and no private loans.